McGUIRE SISTERS: NO SAD SONG SECOND TIME AROUND

LAS VEGAS — With a gun-packing bodyguard running interference, three bubbly, almost identically dressed sisters moved briskly down a hotel corridor and entered an elevator on the 29th floor of the Las Vegas Hilton. As the elevator filled, heads turned, mouths agape.

"Triplets?" one woman asked, a question undoubtedly shared by others.

"No, but that makes me feel good," said Christine McGuire, a great-grandmother. "I'm the oldest (57)."

Phyllis, the youngest (54, according to World Almanac; 51, according to her), and sister Dorothy (56) merely smiled.

Moving through the crowded lobby, outside and into a limo for a brief ride to a windy parking lot, the McGuire sisters continued to attract stares and autograph seekers.

When the singers--accommodating a photographer--climbed onto the hood of the Cadillac parked in front of the Hilton marquee that advertises their engagement (through May 6 in the Moulin Rouge Room), traffic slowed and pedestrians stopped to take in the free show.

The trio does draw attention--particularly from older fans who remember the "Sugartime" sweethearts of decades past.

Understandably, the ticking clock is not among their favorite topics, but the McGuire sisters don't avoid the subject and, remarkably, have aged with the grace of a mature swan.

Phyllis, incidentally, is rather partial to swans, which adorn the grounds of her 26,000-square-foot Las Vegas home, currently being remodeled. She has an equally impressive town house in New York, purchased from an Arab prince.

By now, it's been well documented that the McGuire sisters are back in show biz after a 17-year hiatus.

In fact, the Hilton booking is their third in Las Vegas since they launched their comeback nine months ago, having previously performed at Caesars Palace and the Desert Inn.

Featured in a recent TV segment of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," the singers' decision to resume their careers was not financially motivated. All are, as one might say, "comfortable," Dorothy and Phyllis driving Rolls-Royce convertibles, for instance, and Christine a Mercedes.

During a recent interview here, the three talked about their return to the spotlight--and considerably more, including the book Phyllis is writing about her romantic involvement years ago with the late mafia boss Sam Giancana. But more about that later.

Chattering like schoolgirls, often in unison, the sisters admitted they were apprehensive about being accepted at the outset but now are "thrilled" by the response they've received, even from younger fans.

Clearly, their adrenaline is gushing after all those years on the sideline.

It was 1968 when the trio unceremoniously disbanded after appearing on the Ed Sullivan TV show. Phyllis, however, continued singing as a soloist for six years.

"But I wasn't enjoying it," she recalled. "I missed the harmony, the group."

And so Phyllis--who does a short solo bit in their current show--also left the business.